Global Education Unit

The Global Education Unit promotes and supports active global citizenship through local, European, and global initiatives.  Our work focuses on equipping youth and educators with knowledge, skills, tools and competencies to raise awareness about global issues.  We encourage action for a more just and sustainable world.  Through intercultural dialogue, peace-building initiatives, and conversations about the World We Want and our role in the Post-2015 Framework we engage citizens of all ages.

Brief Background and History

Development Education as a notion has been part of the mentality of the organization from its very beginning. Its signs are evident in projects that promote conflict resolution, intercultural and multicultural communication and understanding, diversity, etc. Steps towards a clear development education approach have taken root since 2005. First formal engagement with teachers, including teacher trainings, began in 2006 with the EU funded project – Extending EU Citizenship to the Eastern End of Europe, where in collaboration with the Representation of the UNHCR in Cyprus, and the Human Rights Education Network we organized a series of trainings for teachers in all cities of Cyprus. These teachers and their schools were to form the dow for the trainings soon to take place under ADE and TeachMDGs.

What We Do

Teacher Trainings

• Interactive Seminars for teachers about Global Education, how it relates to their teaching and learning context;
• Introduce teachers to interactive and learner-centered methodologies that encourage active participation of the students, and that help develop skills, values and attitudes such as critical thinking, empathy, respect for diversity and solidarity, and at the same time build knowledge about global issues and their interdependence with our everyday life.

Youth Leader Workshops

• Discussion groups and workshops with youth and youth leaders from all communities in Cyprus, supporting them in their active citizenship skills and in planning and implementing their own actions;
• Workshops with pupils on global perspectives and on how to take action for change.

Developing Teaching Resources, and Adapt Existing Teaching Resources

• Producing teachers manuals and guidance as to how Global Education can be integrated into their lessons;
• Develop teaching resources specifically on global justice and sustainable development

Translate and adapt existing teaching resources that have been developed in the UK or in Ireland.

Capacity Building Around Development and Global Issues

• Workshops and Trainings for other civil society organizations who are interested in issues related to sustainable development;
• Bringing together different actors to encourage collaboration with regards to development issues and the MDGs/ Post-2015 agenda [[1]].

Projects

• Accessing Development Education
• TeachMDGs
• MDGs- Media for Development Goals
• Act Beyond Borders
• Reinventing democracy (YiA 1.3)
• Youth envisage and design their ideal future (YiA 5.1)
• Youth of the World
• Youth of the World! Mainstreaming Global Awareness in Youth Work
• The World From Our Doorstep
• The World From Our Doorstep (Official)

Members of the Unit

Head of the Unit

• Kerstin Wittig

Members

• Anna-Maria Drousiotou
• Annagrace Messa
• Maria Georgiou
• Randolph Dilday

Interns

• Romial Kenmogne